News, notes and reader questions about the San Francisco 49ers

December 11, 2012

The 49ers placed defensive end Demarcus Dobbs on injured reserve today after the special teams standout injured his right knee Sunday against the Dolphins. The team had wanted to replace Dobbs with former Eagles linebacker Matt McCoy. However, McCoy did not pass his physical today with the team, his agent said. He had suffered a serious knee injury in 2011 while with the Seahawks and had been rehabilitating in San Diego this year.

That means the 49ers have two open roster spots, the other coming due to running back Brandon Jacobs' three-game suspension. The team is not expected to fill those spots today. At least one of the spots is sure to be taken by a player, like McCoy, whom the 49ers feel has value on special teams.

Dobbs played on every special teams unit for the 49ers and was Justin Smith's backup at right defensive end. He played in 12 games this year, missing the Week 13 in St. Louis after crashing his car and being charged with DUI two days earlier.

MATTHEW BARROWS

Matt was born in Blacksburg, Va., and attended the University of Virginia. He graduated in 1995, went to Northwestern for a journalism degree a year later, and got his first job at a South Carolina daily in 1997. He joined The Bee as a Metro reporter in 1999 and started covering the 49ers in 2003. His favorite player of all time is Darrell Green.